When Is Wasp Season in Gledhow?
When children are home and outdoors, the wasp calendar matters more. This family guide covers the season, simple habits that cut the risk and what to do if you find a nest.
The paddling pool and the wasp
It is the middle of the summer holidays. The children are in and out of the garden with ice lollies, the paddling pool is filled, and a wasp starts circling a half-finished drink on the step. Suddenly everyone is jumpy. The youngest has dropped the lolly and is running indoors.
For families, the wasp season lands at exactly the wrong time. The peak of wasp activity coincides with the weeks when children spend the most time outdoors. Knowing the calendar helps you plan around it. This guide is written for households in Gledhow, in the Leeds area, though the pattern is the same everywhere.
Gardens with climbing frames, sandpits and playhouses are worth a special look. A shed-style playhouse with a gap under the roof or a hollow in a wooden frame can be just as attractive to a queen as the eaves of the house.
How the season unfolds for a family garden
Nests begin from late April, with timing set by the weather and how mild the spring is. Over the summer the colony grows, and in August it peaks, with a nest holding anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps. By late summer the wasps hunt for sweet food and drink. In autumn the numbers fall.
The point where family life and wasp life overlap is July to early September. That is when ice lollies, juice cartons, fruit and picnic leftovers are most in evidence, and when a nest is at its busiest.
Many families go away for a week or two in the summer, and a nest can grow unnoticed while the house is empty. Have a trusted neighbour or relative glance at the eaves and shed, from a distance, when they collect the post.
The calendar can run a little earlier or later depending on the weather, so treat it as a guide, not a timetable.
Teaching children what to do
Children are stung mostly because they panic. A simple, calm message does more than any amount of warning.
- If a wasp comes close, stand still or walk slowly away. Do not run or flap.
- Never throw things at a nest or poke a hole to see inside.
- Check a cup or can before drinking from it.
- Tell an adult straight away if you see lots of wasps going into a hole or gap.
Give older children a job: they can be the family wasp spotter, watching where insects go and telling you if a spot looks busy.
Rehearse the response once, on a calm day, so that it comes naturally when a wasp does arrive. Children who have been told what to do are far less likely to scream or run, which is the reaction that tends to lead to stings.
Making the garden less inviting
Some habits are worth building into the holidays.
- Eat at a table and clear it afterwards, rather than letting children wander with food.
- Keep drinks in cups with lids and straws.
- Put sticky lolly sticks and wrappers straight into a lidded bin.
- Move toys, pools and play equipment away from any hedge, wall or hole where wasps are active.
- Pick up windfall fruit daily.
These steps reduce the number of wasps that visit, but they cannot shift a nest. If the same spot keeps attracting traffic, it is time to find out why.
Birthday parties are a particular case. If you have invited a crowd of children for the afternoon, check the garden the day before, move the food table away from hedges and walls, and keep an eye on the bins.
Try to keep one adult watching the garden at the busiest times of day, particularly in the early afternoon when the sun is high.
If a child is stung
Stay calm and move the child away from the area. Wash the sting, take out the sting if you can see it, and put a cold pack on the spot. Most stings cause pain and a little swelling and settle down.
Call 999 if you see swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash. If anyone in the family has a known allergy, speak to your GP about it ahead of the summer, and tell us when you book so we can take it into account.
Keep any cold pack in the freezer through the summer, so that you can reach it in a hurry. A clean cloth between the pack and the skin is more comfortable for a child. Stay with the child for a while afterwards, because a sting that looked minor at first should still be watched.
Arranging treatment during the holidays
If you find a nest, Wasp Exterminator Leeds treats it for a fixed £90, with an additional nest on the same property at £35. There is no call-out charge, we work 7 days a week and offer same-day service. Our technicians are trained and the work is fully insured.
Ring 0113 347 0014 or fill in the booking form on the contact page. We confirm the price on the phone before visiting, and do nothing until you have agreed. You can ask when booking whether the empty nest can be taken down. Until the visit, keep children and pets well away from the area.
Tell us at booking which part of the garden the family uses most, so that we know where the wasps are likely to be crossing paths with you.
It is also worth ringing before the nest becomes a problem for the whole summer. The earlier in the holidays you arrange the visit, the more of the break the children can spend in the garden without a wasp watch.
Wasps on your property in Gledhow?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.